banels Dr. Alicia Neal Director of Bands Assistant Professor of Music Eastern Ilinois Universicy £600 Lincoln Avenue ‘Charleston, IL 61920 amneil]@eiuedu December 13, 2016 To Whom It May Concer: It is my pleasure to write a letter of recommendation on behalf of Maxwell Kestner, who will be graduating from Easter Illinois University with a Bachelor of Music Education degree in the spring of 2017, ‘Marx has been a metaber of the EIU Concert Band and Wind Symphony, and he and has successfully completed both Conducting 1 and Conducting 2 courses under ray tutelage. Iti in his capacity that I have ‘come to know him quite well over the last four years and I have found him to be hard working, a talented and engaging teacher, and an incredibly reliable person. Max isa young man who is absolutely committed to doing the hard work necessary to become a great teacher. Tn my interactions with him, Max has always been prompt, prepared, and extremely hard working ‘when given a tack or assignment. He is always engaged in classes and rehearses and truly seems to have a thirst for knowledge. His commitment to learning paited with his easygoing personality make bita the rype of student all professors love to have in their clases. Max has the perfect demeanor and sense of humor to teach music at the K-12 level. He has a ‘wonderful sense of humor and is very engaging. In fact, often find myself smiling while conversing with Max. I know his students wall feel the same about their connection with him in the classroom. Max has a strong desire o be a highly skilled band teacher, and I know that his work ethic, his ‘wealth of varied performing experiences while at EIU, and his thirst for knowledge will make him a great teacher and tole model for the students in his music classes. For these reasons, itis my great pleasure to recominend Maxwell Kestner without reservation for any K-12 music teaching position for which he shoul apply. Sincerely, Wan fol Dr Alicia Neal